What Happened To You?
by Lunarwench
Summary: Mugen discovers Fuu at yet another brothel. He'll save her, but what if Fuu doesn't want to be saved? Something is wrong with Fuu. Mugen wants to figure out what happened to the fiery girl he fell for so long ago. MugenFuu, LEMON.
1. Mugen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Champloo. Obviously.**

**Summary: Mugen finds Fuu in yet another Brothel. What is with her? But wait! Fuu isn't acting like herself...**

**Key: 'word' = thoughts**

**"word" = speech**

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_Well the men come in these places  
And the men are all the same  
You don't look at their faces  
And you don't ask their names  
You don't think of them as human  
You don't think of them at all  
You keep your mind on the money  
Keeping your eyes on the wall_

Tina Turner- Private Dancer

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Despite the late hour, the main road in this town was far from empty. Lovers stole kisses in the shadows, swords-for-hire stood in front of buildings flashing their weapons menacingly, and as always, hordes of men swarmed from brothel to brothel, to see the wares. Some were so old, Mugen was surprised they could even get it up anymore, and yet still more who were younger, richer, and looking to spend the night in the arms of a soft body.

Mugen, for once, was not interested in a woman. He had come to this famous "Whore-Town" to drop off his most recent employer. He had been hired to bring a highly-valuable virgin to one of these brothels. His job wasn't to keep her hostage, but to keep her pure. He wouldn't receive his money until she was delivered and examined to prove her chastity was still intact.

That wasn't a problem for Mugen. He though she was hot, but she was too serene for his tastes. He liked his women wild and wanton.

She didn't try to escape him once on their 3-day trek. She even helped him find the town. Mugen was a little taken aback at first, but then he realized that the place she would be working was very high-end, and because of her beauty, she would be a very highly-paid geisha. Perhaps one day, if a client took a liking to her, she would become a concubine to some lord.

Mugen sneered. 'Never thought I'd be guarding some bitch's virginity instead a takin it.'

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Mugen stepped out into the night air with a heavy sack of ryo tied to his shorts. The Madam of brothel had looked quite surprised when it was proven that the young girl was indeed still a virgin. She'd smiled suggestively and handed him his payment.

"Thank you greatly, Young Sir. We may have business for you again. But for now, perhaps you would like to give back some of those ryo and take comfort in the soft arms of one of my girls? I can make sure she is most satisfactory."

Mugen brushed her off and merely walked away.

'He's an odd one. Perhaps a eunuch?' She grimaced at the thought of a castrated male. She had no use of such a thing. She caught sight of a few men approaching the doorway and instantly smiled at them, promptly forgetting about the pirate. "Welcome Gentlemen! Come in and find perfection for a night."

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**Hey people! I apologize for the short chapter! Don't worry, lots happening in the next one! Please review! I am a new author and need pointers and validation!**


	2. Fuu

Mugen was slinking along the street, seeing if anything of interest was around. Maybe a fight or some sake. 'Man, I need a drink.'

"**Gentlemen!**"

He was heading to a nearby sake stand, when that booming voice suddenly thundered from his right, making him stumble. He looked around and saw that he was not the only man who had been surprised.

A man in a brightly colored garish robe stood on a platform to his right with a paper cone up to his mouth. The cone was amplifying his voice and men were drawing closer to him, curious about what was going on.

The announcer smiled and continued his speech for his new audience. "**Who here desires women?**"

The men in the crowd, now drawn into his spell, gave shouts of agreement.

"**Well, then you are in luck! For tonight, we have, in this establishment only, women of such unequaled beauty and passion, the likes of which you have never seen!**"

The men responded by clapping and cheering, more enthusiastically this time.

Mugen, who had been drawn in with all the others, was growing bored. This man was nothing new. Every whorehouse had an announcer who promised one thing or another, but in Mugen's experience, all the women were the same. The only thing that ever changed was the price. And even though Mugen had enough in his money sack to buy the whole building, he wasn't interested.

He tried to escape the throng of anxious men, and found himself being pushed closer to the stage. "Get the fuck off me!" He snarled viciously to one of the men who had just stomped down on his foot. He was about to draw his sword and take out some of his frustration, when the men suddenly all got quiet. He looked up to see what had happened, and his breath caught in his chest.

A girl had appeared on the platform, head bowed, wearing a scarlet silk kimono. It was form-fitting and had a wide neck-line that exposed her thin shoulders and a hint of cleavage. The train was long and lush, coming up to create an alluring slit to her hips. The creamy skin of her thighs peeked through. She obviously had no wrappings on underneath and the crowd all _Oooh_'d and _Aaah_'d as she stepped closer on the platform, her breasts straining against the silk.

Her hair was a dark chocolate brown and tightly pinned back on the top of her head with hair pins. A matching scarlet fan was artfully arranged in her hair, tassels hanging off the sides. When she finally lifted her head, Mugen suddenly remembered how to breathe. _'Fuu!_' She wore no make-up except for a thick lining of kohl around her eyes.

'Oh god, her eyes!' Mugen felt nauseous suddenly when he saw her eyes. They were dead. Gone was the spark of mischief that usually shined there. There was no laughter or anger or even despair in her eyes. It chilled him to the bone, and he gave an involuntary shudder.

The man who had previously stepped on his foot noticed and turned to him. "Creepy, ain't it. It's like she's a zombie. Still, though, She's a pretty thing. I think I'll buy her." He chuckled and nudged Mugen with his elbow. "I bet I could bring some life back into those sad e-AH!" He was suddenly cut off as Mugen swiftly brought a small dagger up to his throat.

"You will _never_ touch her." Then he just as quickly removed the dagger and slinked away from the crowd. He strayed to the shadows and watched as the men started to bid on her. He wasn't surprised to find that the offers weren't high. Her eyes were enough to turn any man off. He shuddered again.

Finally, the announcer gave up when he realized that the men weren't going to up the bids, and called the winner forward. Mugen growled in his throat when he saw the middle-aged man waddle up to the stage. 'That fat ugly bastard ain't touching Fuu!' He watched as the man walked into the building and a new girl was led onto the stage. Fuu was already being led off to the back doorway to be prepared for her buyer.

While everyone was distracted by the new, much more enthusiastic girl on stage, Mugen took the opportunity to slip unnoticed inside the brothel and he quietly followed the man to his room, hiding in the shadows. A women ushered the bidder inside, then informed him that his purchase would soon join him. Then she closed the door and walked back down the hallway.

Mugen, who had hid in the dark doorway of a nearby empty room, stalked over to the door, and quietly slid it open. The man was sitting on the floor, already half-naked waiting for Fuu. Mugen walked right up to him and conked him on the head with the handle of his sword. The guy crumpled to the floor without a sound and Mugen pulled him to the corner of the room, hiding his unconscious form with a sheet from the nearby futon. Then he waited.

He didn't have to wait long though. The door rustled and slid open as Fuu slowly entered with her head bowed.

"Greetings Master. How may I please you?" She spoke in whispers and Mugen had a hard time hearing her.

It tugged at something inside him to see her so submissive. 'What happened to you Fuu?' Before he could stop himself, he crossed to her and pulled her close, wrapping his lanky arms around her. He cringed inwardly when she didn't even react. "Fuu."

She looked up at him with those dead eyes. He saw a spark of recognition in her eyes.

"Mugen." Her voice was toneless.

He was a little hurt that she wasn't excited to see him.

Her eyes became vacant once again. "I understand." She removed herself from his arms, then unceremoniously unwrapped her kimono. It pooled to her feet and she stood there, staring at him.

"What the fuck are you doing!" He whirled away from her naked flesh, but not before getting an eyeful of her creamy skin, pert breasts, taut stomach, and the dark patch of curls between her-

'STOP IT!' He wheezed uncontrollably, trying to shake the image of her skin from his head. With his back to her, he fought to calm his breathing and manged to speak in a gruff voice.

"Put your clothes back on, stupid bitch! No one wants to see that!" He heard her pick up her kimono and he glanced behind him. She was retying her sash. With a relieved rush of breath he turned back around and looked at her.

"What the hell did you do that for?" He demanded.

"Isn't that the reason you're here?" Again she spoke in whispers.

"What? NO! Fuck Fuu! I'm here ta rescue you!"

"You bought me to steal me?"

"I didn't buy you, that fat bastard is over there in the corner." He gestured to the lump under the sheet.

"I knocked him out, now let's get going. We can get out the window." He went over to examine the drop from the window, relieved to that they were only one floor up and above an alley. He swung one leg over the sill and looked back at her.

She hadn't moved.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Don't you _want_ to be rescued?" He nearly shouted.

"I'm not a prisoner here. I work here of my own free will." Her voice was almost too soft to hear.

Mugen gawked at her, uncomprehending what she just admitted. He paused for only a moment, then stood and stomped over to her. He was so angry, and he didn't know why. Just then, the man in the corner groaned painfully and he reacted quickly, taking his sword and knocking Fuu hard against the back of the head. She collapsed, but he caught her and threw her over his shoulder. Without pausing, he raced to the window and leapt out into the dark alley.

His steel-lined geta landed with a solid _thunk _and he sprinted down the alley away from the main street. He could hear the excited voices of the men and the loud announcer still pawning off women. Mugen grimaced. Shifting Fuu's slight weight off his shoulders down into his arms, he cradled her to his chest as he ran. He would take her to a different town and then he would find out what had happened to her. After all, they had only split up a year ago.

Mugen thought for a minute. 'It hasn't even been a year. Only like...' he counted slowly, trying to remember how. 'Eight and a half months. How can someone change so much in so little time?' He looked down at her limp form. Old feelings suddenly came rushing back to him and he clutched her tighter against him. 'I'm here now, Fuu. I'll take care of you again.'


	3. She's Awake

'What size is Fuu?' Mugen scratched his head in confusion as he rifled through some girly cloth kimonos.

He had come across a new town last night and bought a room at one of the inns with his recently acquired money. He was up all night watching Fuu sleep in the big futon bed. When the sun finally rose, he left her alone to go get her some clothes. That scarlet robe made him aroused and angry at the same time. He didn't like it.

Now, he realized the error of not having any knowledge of female clothing as he helplessly dismissed several pieces of clothing, not knowing what they were.

"Can I help you, young man?"

He turned to see a short older woman staring up at him with kind eyes.

"Shopping for the wife perhaps?"

"Uh...Yeah, why the hell not?" He shrugged. Let this old woman think what she wanted, as long as she helped him.

"I am Iyoku, the owner of this shop. May I inquire about the measurements of the young lady you are buying for?"

He stared at her blankly. "What?"

She laughed kindly. "I mean, what size does she wear."

He looked back to the kimonos he had thrown back into their shelves. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"Alright, then. How about height? How tall is this girl?"

He stared at her for a moment, then squinted his eyes in concentration, and held his hand flat up to his chest, palm facing the ground. Iyoku watched as he moved his hand up then down, then up again. "I guess she comes to about here." He said slowly.

Iyuko pulled some measuring tape from seemingly thin air then measured the distance from his hand to the ground.

"Okay how about waist size?" She chuckled as he held up his hands as if he was holding somebody.

"This." He spoke softly, as he remembered holding her in his arms last night.

They continued in this fashion, Mugen going by what she had felt like to him, until Iyuko was satisfied that she knew what size the girl was. "Alright now. Does she have any favorite colors?"

He didn't hesitate this time. "Pink. And...maybe something with sunflowers on it too..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Mugen stepped into his room, arms full of his morning's purchases. He had no idea how much clothing a girl had to wear. The whores he slept with only ever wore a kimono. Or nothing.

But, it also relieved him to have so much stuff. It meant Fuu wouldn't be wearing whore's clothing anymore. She would be a normal girl. He dropped the clothing to the floor and turned to Fuu.

Fuu was awake. She sat on the futon, legs still beneath the covers, and stared out the window. She hadn't even acknowledged his presence.

He was immediately and irrationally furious with her. "Hey BITCH! You could at least say 'thank you' after I saved you!"

She turned to him and he swore when her eyes were still empty. "I already told you. I wasn't a prisoner. That was my home. I'm just going to go back when you leave."

"You're home is with me! And who said I was fucking leaving?" He jumped on the bed and crouched in front of her, grabbing her shoulders roughly and shaking her. "Why are you so different? What the hell happened that made you so-so-FUCK!" He threw her away from him and stormed to the other end of the room. "You haven't even...You don't..." He punched the wall violently. "FUCK!"

She watched him silently.

He punched the wall a few more times, cracking the wood. Then spun around and glared at her. "You stay here, I'm goin to get some grub for us." He lowered his voice dangerously. "If you try to leave, I will find you."

"Okay." She didn't fight. Fuu just lay back onto the bed and closed her eyes.

He was shocked. Why did she just agree like that? She wasn't fighting him at all. It made his stomach twist into knots. He had to fix her somehow.


	4. Confession

He barged into the room with a tray of food in his hands. It was all of Fuu's favorites. Considering Fuu didn't really dislike anything, the tray was very heavy. He placed it on the floor.

Fuu didn't move from the bed.

"Come eat." He commanded roughly.

She slowly stood up then came to sit in front of the tray. He handed her a bowl of soup and dumplings and a pair of chopsticks. Mugen felt something inside him break when he watched her eat.

She delicately ate her dumplings, slowly sipping the soup and being very un-Fuu-ish. He remembered how she used to stuff food into her face as if there was no tomorrow. Now she ate as if the food was tasteless and she only needed it to keep from dying. She took no joy in it.

She finished and set her bowl down, waiting with folded hands and her head down. 'What, does she want me to dismiss her or something?' "You waiting for somethin?"

"May I be excused, Mugen-san?"

This was the final straw. Mugen roared and shoved the tray of food across the room. Leaping to his feet, he tossed his bowl into the wall, causing it to shatter. To his satisfaction, Fuu looked up at him in confusion.

"Don't you EVER call me that shit!" He felt the anger leave his body and he slumped back down to his knees and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her small body to his own.

"It's just Mugen. And you're Fuu. Like it's always been."

He heard her gasping and realized he was holding her too tightly. Relaxing his grip only slightly, she panted as air rushed into her lungs again.

He just held her for a while, then crossing his legs beneath him, he settled her onto his lap, never letting go of her. Mugen sighed contentedly as her hand came up to rest on his chest. He dipped his head into the crook of her neck and placed his lips against her skin. When she didn't protest, he ran his tongue gently against her neck. He stopped at her jaw, and nibbled at the tender flesh.

She started to tremble.

He felt his heart pound painfully fast and bent her head to capture her lips with his own. He didn't push the kiss, just let his mouth carefully mold against hers. Fuu seemed to relax against him, and he ran his tongue across her closed lips.

She jerked her head away then. "No."

Mugen stared at her blankly for a minute.

"No!" She wailed again and started to struggle against his arms. "Please!"

He refused to release her, but then she turned her face back to him and her eyes...

'Oh gods, her eyes!' She had a tortured look in her eyes and she started to cry. "Mugen! Please."

When she said his name like that, so full of pain and pleading, he let her go.

She scrambled to the other end of the room, gasping for breath and sobbing pitifully. "Oh gods! WHY!" she whirled to him, and he saw she was furious.

He had achieved his goal of dragging her out of the darkness, but he wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"Goddammit Mugen! I was fine before you had to show up! Why couldn't you just let me be?" She fell to her knees and began to rip out her hair, wailing like a wounded animal.

"Hey! Stop that!" he scurried over to her and grabbed her wrists, stilling her hands. "Stop that." He squeezed her wrists brutally, causing her to cry out and release her hair. Taking hold of her arms in one of his hands, her used the other to pull her back against him. She sobbed into his chest, trying frantically to release her wrists. He let her go and she started to pound on his chest. He let her take out her anger on him. It was better than the nothingness she had before. "I'm going to make you tell me whats wrong eventually, so you might as well do it now."

"No."

He grinned. The fight was finally coming back. His Fuu was finally coming back. "My Fuu..." He stroked her back. "Just tell me. I'll make it better."

She stilled at his words, confused by his concern but too tired to question it. He felt her give up, and waited as patiently as he could for her to start.

Which wasn't long.

"Well, come on! Spit it out already!" She chuckled lightly, surprising him.

"Mugen, you haven't changed."

"But _you _have. Don't avoid my question. Tell me why you're so..." he wiggled his hand out in front of him to indicate what she was being.

She sighed deeply. Resignedly. "Umanosuke raped me."

His arms wrapped tightly around her."Who's that?" he growled.

"The day I left you to find the Sunflower Samurai on my own. He was guy with the eye patch and that scythe-thing."

He didn't say anything. Just hissed through his teeth as he remembered who she was talking about.

"He found me in the sunflower field and raped me in the abandoned church."

"That...bastard." Mugen growled between bared teeth. "That...FUCKING BASTARD! I'LL KILL HIM!" He quickly got to his feet, dragging Fuu with him as he paced around the room, looking for something, anything, to kill.

"Mugen."

He stopped and looked down at her face. She met his eyes sadly. "You already killed him."

"That's right." He suddenly remembered with vicious glee. "I tore his fucking head off!"

She shushed him and he carried her over to the bed, where he sat back down and settled her once again in his lap. "I wasn't conscious during 'it' anyway. He knocked me out."

He whipped his head up. "Maybe he didn't actually..."

Fuu shook her head slowly. "No, he did. When I woke up I hurt 'down there'...and...there was blood too." She shuddered. "Besides...he hinted about it." She paused. "He told me I was a good fit...for him." She stopped and lapsed into silence.

Mugen was shaking so violently that his teeth were chattering. He saw red and was so close to losing control, that he had to push Fuu off his lap, lest he accidentally hurt her. She flopped onto the bed and he saw the quick look of rejection in her eyes before she turned away. He swore, realizing his mistake.

"No, no, Fuu. I not upset at you. I'm just so pissed off at-" he stopped. "At myself."

Fuu flinched when he said this. "_You_ didn't rape me. Umanosuke-"

"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" Mugen picked up his sword from the floor and slashed down into the small table that stood near the door. It split in two. "I coulda stopped him! If I had gotten there quicker-!"

"Mugen!"

He glanced over to her.

She was standing now, hands fisted at her side. She looked like the old Fuu right after he would tell her she was flat-chested. She took a small step towards him. "Don't you _dare-_" Another step. "blame yourself for _him_." She spat on the ground. "If you do, then I am equally at fault." He started to protest, but Fuu held up her hand, shushing him. "I am the one who started that journey. I am the one who chose you and Jin as my traveling companions. I chose to leave you and go to the island by myself." She seemed to lose her nerve, and slumped back onto the bed, that vacant look creeping back into her eyes. "Besides...that's not the worst part."

Mugen froze, facing the bed, afraid to go closer to her.

"When we split up after that...I was pregnant."

Mugen groaned unhappily. "You have a kid somewhere?"

She laughed coldly. "Mugen we've only been apart for nine months-"

"Eight and a half." he interrupted.

"Yes, so don't you think I'd still be pregnant if...if I had kept it...?"

Mugen scratched his head. "Whaddya mean? How did you you lose it?"

Fuu looked up at him and reached out her hand, beckoning him to come closer. He quickly complied and crossed to her. He crouched by the bed and she gently took his hand, pulling it to her stomach.

"I'll show you." She undid the sash around her waist and slowly opened her kimono, not ashamed after he had seen her the night before.

He couldn't help the excited feeling that formed in the pit of his stomach at the sight of her smooth skin. She took his hand and guided it to her flat stomach and he instinctively caressed her.

"No." She moved his hand to right below her belly button. "Here. Feel."

He held her gaze as his fingers slowly grazed across her skin. Then he felt it. A jagged vertical scar about two inches long. He glanced down and saw the harsh pink line on her otherwise perfect skin. He met her eyes and furrowed his brow, his expression questioning.

She smiled eerily and then leaned down close to his ear to whisper, "When I found out I was pregnant with his spawn, I took a dagger and I sliced that abomination out of me."

Then she began to laugh. And she couldn't stop.


	5. Quality Time

**8 ½ months ****earlier**

_They are standing at the crossroads, facing in three different directions. _

"_Well, then." says Mugen. _

"_Let us meet again." says Jin. _

_They're dressed in similar but new clothing: Jin in a plain blue-grey gi with no heraldic mon design, Mugen in a red jacket tied across the chest, carrying a European-looking straight sword with a leather shoulder belt and scabbard._

_Fuu smiles at them and makes a confession. "Hey guys, you remember that coin toss that began this journey, which was supposed to be heads-you-fight and tails-you-come-with-me?"_

_Mugen snorted. "Yeah, what about it?"_

"_It actually came up heads."_

"_What?" they blurt. _

"_That's all." says Fuu walking off. "Well, see you around." _

"_We were tricked." says Jin. _

"_What was this journey all about?" asks Mugen. _

_But they're both smiling. _

_They look after her a moment, then turn and walk their separate ways._

_Mugen puts his hands behind his head and stares up at the sky as he lopes down the dirt road. 'Well...What now?' He couldn't help himself and he angled his head back to the road to see if Jin was still visible. He was not in sight. 'Well, that's no surprise. He doesn't have that brat slowing him down.'_

_He slowed to a stop and turned fully around. He shifted his gaze to the road that Fuu had taken. The sun was in his eyes and he squinted as he searched for her._

_Bringing his hand up to his forehead to block the light, he finally saw her. She didn't seem to be walking anymore. He squinted more. 'What is she doing? It looks like she's...'_

_She was staring at him. He jolted as he met her stare. Well, because of the sun, it was hard to tell, but Mugen could _feel _her eyes on him. Neither of them moved for several minutes._

_Then Mugen felt himself wanting to go back to her. He took a step towards her._

_Fuu immediately turned away from him and started to run away on the road._

_Mugen's instincts told him to chase her. But he stayed where he was._

_'Fine, see if I care. I don't need ya anyway!' But he knew that was a lie as he slowly turned to continue down the road. Away from his companions. Away from Jin. Away...from her._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Mugen woke with a start. He would have the dream, well, the _memory_, every so often and it always hurt him when Fuu ran from him. He wouldn't admit to himself why.

Yawning loudly, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced over to the bed. Fuu wasn't there.

He jumped to his feet and was reaching for his sword, when the door quietly opened and in walked Fuu, still flushed from a bath. He tried to calm his racing heart.

"Where the hell were ya!" He demanded, not daring to go near her due to last night's outburst.

Last night...

'Oh gods. Last night..." It had been horrifying.

Fuu had told him that she had stabbed the child within her and killed it. Mugen cringed as he remembered.

Truthfully, he wasn't bothered by the killing. He had killed enough innocent lives in his life to not judge when anyone else did it, but the thought of Fuu doing something like that...to _herself_made him want to vomit.

He had been shocked when she started to laugh. She very nearly cackled and it had freaked Mugen out. He'd slapped her, thinking that she was having a psychotic fit and she'd gone silent.

But then she'd started to cry and Mugen thought that was much worse. She'd sobbed into the futon, her limbs splayed out and her cries so strong that it shook her body. He didn't know how to stop her and didn't want to hit her again.

So he just sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back awkwardly. Comforting somebody wasn't exactly his specialty, but he wanted to try for Fuu. He whispered soft things near her ear and stroked her as gently as he could. Eventually she fell asleep. When he felt her relax, he left the bed and paced over to the wall. He had sat down with his legs crossed and watched her sleep for the second night in a row. Fuu had tossed and turned all night.

Now, here she was standing in front of him, cheeks pinkened by the bath, hair still damp, and a soft smile on her face. Like last night she _hadn't_had a complete break-down. He couldn't understand her.

The smile faltered as she answered his demand.

"Duh, I was at the bath house! Idiot." She shook her head and walked over to the forgotten pile of clothes that Mugen had bought the previous morning. Silently, she riffled though the clothing, and Mugen held his breath as he waited to see if she liked any of it.

She picked up the pink kimono and let her fingers caress the fabric. His breath hitched when she smiled. "Thank you, Mugen." She stood and undid her bathing robe. Mugen watched as the cloth slowly fell to the floor, then he forced himself to look away.

She chuckled softly. "You've already seen everything. Why turn away now? It's not like my flesh is innocent anymore."

He didn't answer.

Another small laugh. "Stubborn."

He heard various sounds of clothing being adjusted. "There. All done. You can turn around now."

Mugen faced her once again and felt his chest tighten at the sight of her. She looked so much more...Fuu-like.

The new kimono was a darker pink than the old one and it didn't have flowers on it but it suited her more. Her dark hair was pulled back and pinned with chopsticks, with her bangs now falling freely to frame her face, like before.

All-in-all, she looked like herself. Only...more grown-up. Mugen let out a relieved sigh. He had worried that she was forever changed, but now he was happy to see that she wasn't so far gone.

Maybe, if he tried hard enough, he could bring her back completely.

He cleared his throat as she stood calmly in front of him. He wasn't sure how to phrase his question, and he rubbed the back of his neck absently.

"So, uh...Do you want to...uh, you know...Tell me what happened, uh, _after__._" He didn't elaborate, knowing she understood what he meant.

Fuu turned her head towards the window.

"It's such a lovely day Mugen. It's been so long since I've spent a day in the sun."

Mugen sighed and knew she wouldn't tell him anything more. At least not right now anyway.

He scowled at her. "Fine. Wanna go walk around or somethin?"

She beamed at him and he almost stumbled at her bright smile. He found himself grinning back.

"I'd like that very much." She linked her arm through his and fell into step beside him as he headed to the door.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Mugen was surprised. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was actually kinda having _fun. _He didn't really understand it. He and Fuu had just walked around the town, checking out shops and grabbing some food, all the while chatting about Jin, their travels, and other random things.

Now they walked side-by-side down the main road as the sun began to set, staining the buildings in a warm red glow.

Mugen even found himself letting her in on what he'd been up to since they parted.

"You mean, you really _did_ earn that money in your bag?" She eyed him skeptically.

Normally he would have barked at her to shut up, but he found himself at a level of ease of which he's never felt before, and he just chuckled at her. "Samurai's honor, I swear."

"Your not a samurai, so that doesn't mean much."

"Pirates honor?"

She snorted loudly. "That's not much better, you know."

"Alright, how about just on _my _honor?"

She sighed and shook her head slightly. "Okay. I will believe _your _word of honor." She looked over at him. "Jeez, you didn't have to guilt-trip me."

"What can I say? I know you too well." He grinned at her, but it quickly faded when he saw her eyes

go blank.

"Fuu...?"

"People change, Mugen." She picked up her pace and started to walk away from him. "I'm tired. You go have some fun by yourself, I'm going to head back to the roo-" she was cut off when Mugen snatched her hand and jerked her to a stop.

"I'm not lettin you get away that easily." He squeezed her wrist, and she flinched, but she didn't fight back.

He looked around and spotted a hilltop on the outside edge of town that was facing the sunset. 'Perfect.' He started walking towards it and dragged her along with him. Fuu didn't object and tried her best to keep up.

After a few silent moments he managed to force her up the hillside and the he pushed her down to the ground. She collapsed none-too-gracefully and let out a soft "Oof." When he was sure she wouldn't try to get up, he plopped down next to her and crossed his legs.

"Alright now. I've given you your 'day in the sun' or whatever the hell you wanna call it, now you owe me something." He lay back on the grass and propped his head up on his hands, silently watching the sunset.

Fuu was silent for a moment. "Alright. What exactly do you want...?"

Mugen swore softly. He hated how she said that. Like she expected him to screw her or something. She should know he'd never do that. It pissed him off and he snapped at her. "Quit playing the damn victim, alright!" he sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. "A lot of people have had a lot worse things happen to em!"

She blinked at him, eyes wide with shock.

"So just quit yer bitchin and complainin and tell me what happened next!" He wouldn't meet her eyes, so she just sat back and watched the sun go down.

After a few tense minutes of silence, she took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." She looked at him again. "I'm sorry, Mugen."

He was surprised that she was apologizing to him. He hadn't really meant what he said to her. Truthfully, he was sure that if he hadn't had the kind of upbringing that he had, and if he were an "innocent" like Fuu, he probably wouldn't have been able to handle what she had gone through.

"Well...I almost died that night. I was pretty stupid because I did it out in the middle of a forest. Although, at the time, I was intending to die, so I guess it wasn't that dumb." Mugen just stared at her, a scowl on his face. She sighed at his silence. "How is it that you can make me feel guilty for attempting to take my own life without even saying anything?"

He was actually about to answer her, when she held up her hand and quirked an eyebrow at him. "That was a hypothetical question." He blinked. "That means I wasn't actually expecting an answer from you. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I was bleeding pretty heavily after I stabbed myself and the pain in my abdomen was incredible."

A dark laugh escaped her and she reclined back on the grass like Mugen, hands behind her head. "I finally understood what you and Jin had to go through pretty much everyday. I don't know how you always seemed like it was nothing. Neither of you would even flinch. But at least Jin let me tend to his wounds." She shot him a dirty glare. "You had to fight me tooth-and-nail the whole time."

"I just didn't want you to touch me." He didn't elaborate _why _he didn't want her to touch him. Sometimes her feather-light fingers caused him to become unpleasantly...excited. And screw that if he let four-eyes see him get a hard-on from just touching. Like some virgin who's never been with a girl before.

Fuu looked to him with outrage and hurt plain upon her face. "Don't be vague or anything. Just tell me how you really feel." She spat sarcastically.

He didn't respond.

She lay back on the grass. "Whatever. Anyway, I guess it wasn't my time to die because a priest who just so happened to be out traveling heard me crying from the road and came to see what had happened. The last thing I remember was his face above mine and then he picked me up and I blacked out. When I woke, I was in a temple and my stomach had been bandaged."

Mugen heard her voice grow steadily more shaky and he wondered how much longer she'd be able to talk. She seemed to realize the same thing and took several minutes to watch the last sliver of sunlight disappear over the horizon, taking several deep breaths.

As the stars began to come out, she started to talk again. "The priest who had found me was sitting by my bed and when he noticed that I was awake, he asked me if I remembered what had happened. I can say that I am quite proud because I was able to quickly think up a suitable story. I told him that I had been searching for my husband who had gone missing and I was mugged and beaten by a strange man."

Fuu paused and glanced over to Mugen with a sheepish look on her face. She bit her lip. "Uh..speaking of which...You might not want to go near Kitakyushu anytime soon. When he asked me to describe my attackers, I drew a blank and uh...kinda ended up describing _you_." She laughed nervously.

"What? Why? You think I need _another _bounty on my head?" His scowl deepened. "Dumb broad."

"Well I'm sorry! But I was nervous and your face was the only one I could think of at the time!"

"Oh, I'm flattered that you think about me when asked to described _bandits and rapists_! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!"

At this point they were both shouting at each other and neither of them realized that they had both risen up on their elbows and their faces were inches from each other. But Fuu suddenly saw how close his face was and blushed brightly.

Mugen noticed this and was surprised enough to calm down and move back onto his back, eyes staring intently at the stars. He had to fight to hide the grin from creeping onto his face. 'So Fuu can still blush. Hmmm...I guess she's not as dead inside as I thought.'

Fuu blinked as she tried to grasp that Mugen had just backed down from a fight with her. He saw her surprise and laughed sharply. "Come on girly. I'm waitin."

She seemed dazed. "What? Oh...OH! Um...well, uh, the priest had just asked me what the attacker looked like, and uh...I told him, and then...He told me that I had lost my child." She snorted and grabbed fistfuls of grass, tearing them up and tossing them into a little pile. "I cried then. But not because of what he said. The way he was looking at me was so sad, like he cared and was concerned for me. I felt like dirt because his kindness was undeserved. I was unworthy of such kindness...I was unclean. I'm going to Hell for what happened."

Fuu actually started to sob at this point, the memory too painful. It wasn't as powerful as the night before but Mugen once again felt himself drawing her nearer and stroking her back. She leaned into his side and rested her face into the crook of his neck, tears swiftly running down her face.

"Well, hey then. I'm going to Hell too, so I guess we'll see each other there." He kept his tone light, and was rewarded by a soft sighing laugh.

"Besides, Fuu. Are you trying to tell me you blame yourself for Uman-for what that creep did to you?"

She had shuddered when he started to say his name, and he was glad he had caught himself. She sniffled and shook her head sadly. "No Mugen. I blame him. But _I_was the one who took the life of his child. I realize now that regardless of the father, I should have kept it, because it was also part of me. I'm sure I could have eventually learned to accept it." But she didn't sound so certain.

He made a dismissive noise and draped his arm over her thin shoulders, allowing her to rest against him more comfortably. "Come on Fuu. I'm not saying what you did was right or wrong, but I have a hard time believing that you would have been able to live your life when everyday you'd have to look

at that thing and remember where it came from. Plus, you'd been raising it by yourself."

She stilled at his words. "Actually..."

He suddenly felt very tense, like he had just seen lightning and was waiting for the thunder. "What do you mean 'actually'?"

She lowered her voice to the softest whisper and he tilted his head to hear her. "...Jin offered to stay with me and help me raise it..."

For a full minute, nothing moved, then...

"WHAT!" He viciously shoved her away from him jumped up to his feet. He stared down at her like she had four heads. He screamed at her. "ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT NOT ONLY DID FUCKING FOUR-EYES KNOW ABOUT THIS BEFORE ME, BUT HE OFFERED TO _MARRY_ YOU!"

Mugen had never been this angry before in his life. Not only had she insulted his pride by not telling him, but she once again went to _Jin_for comfort. He was also deeply confused because he wasn't sure why he was reacting so strongly and that only angered him further.

He stormed away from her and stomped around the hill looking for something to hack at with his sword. There was nothing on the hill except for her, so he marched back up to her and she flinched when he crouched down in front of her, hand fisted in the grass. He had to fight not to strangle her.

Mugen punched the dirt and spoke to her through clenched teeth. "Why. Didn't. You. Tell. _Me_?" He attacked the grounds again and was satisfied to see her flinch again as she saw the blood on his knuckles.

"Am I not _good_ enough? Huh? You get knocked up and the _dirty pirate_ can't even know? But oh, dangle a fucking _samurai_ in front of you and you'll just about wet yourself to get _him__. _If I hadn't been fighting Jin that day we met, you would have _never _have asked me to go with you. But I bet you on my miserable life that _one look_ at Jin and you'd have asked him. Probably wouldn't even wait to see if he could actually fight."

He brought his bloody hand up to her face and smeared some of it on her cheek, she cringed and he smiled cruelly. He brought his voice up a couple octaves and mimicked her. "Oh don't let the convict touch me! Please someone help! I can't stand to have his dirty blood on me! It might stain my pristine skin!"

He resumed his normal voice. "Your such a worthless bitch. I shoulda left you to rot in that whorehouse, which by the way, you still don't seem to care that I saved you from. So I gotta wonder." He grabbed her chin and jerked her face up to meet his eyes. "Maybe I shoulda just screwed ya, since you had so kindly offered. Maybe I would have gotten a 'Thank You' then if I had thrown your little ankles over my shoulders and showed you what you'd been missing."

He sat back on his heels, watching her face crumble and tears form fresh in her eyes. He didn't feel the satisfaction that he thought he would at seeing her pain at his words, though. He actually felt quite bad.

Everything he'd said had been to purposefully hurt her. He wanted to make her feel as horrible as he did when he found out that after all he'd done for her, all the times he's fought for her, rescued her, made her laugh, he _still _had not been good enough for her to tell him her secret.

But Jin had been good enough. It had made his blood boil and every proud male part of him feel

inferior, which he did not like. Not one bit.

Now though, as he slowly realized what he actually said, he felt guilty and unnaturally ashamed.

His scowl faded to be replaced by genuine regret and he opened his mouth to apologize to her when-

_WHACK_!

She slapped him so hard that his head whipped around and he felt the bones in his neck crack. Turning back to her he stared, eyes wide and mouth agape as he rubbed the now tender flesh of his cheek. Fuu still sat before him and her face was no longer sad, it was furious.

"How _dare_ you!" She made a whisper sound deadly. "You-you scumbag!" She raised

her hand again and Mugen didn't try to stop her, knowing he deserved to be slapped. But she made a fist and before he could react, she punched him square in the nose. He actually fell backwards onto his rear and felt something warm and wet running down his chin.

Wiping his hand under his nose, he raised it up and was shocked to see fresh blood. 'She actually broke my nose!'

He was so stunned that he didn't see her get up and tower over him. "You DICK!" Then she kicked him in the groin and he yelped sharply as her heavy shoe connected with his soft flesh. As he rolled himself into the fetal position and whimpered softly, she glared down at him and shouted at him.

"You are the worst of the _worst_, Mugen! After I tell you that I didn't _want_ to be saved, you take me anyway! And then I tell you I'll go back and you threaten me! You take me out for a nice day and make me remember how much fun we had in the old days then you pull the rug out from under me by saying all those cruel things!"

She kicked some dirt onto his shaking form. "And the worst thing of all is-" She brokenly sobbed. "You made me _feel_ again! You make me want-" Another harsh cry tore through her. "You make me want _YOU_ again!" She whirled from him and started to quickly stumble away, her vision clouded with tears.

She turned her head as she ran and shouted one last thing. "I never want to see you again! I'll kill myself if you come after me!" Mugen managed to open one eye and peer down the hill at her shrinking form as it disappeared from his sight.


	6. Gotcha

Mugen knew he was a lot of things. He knew that 'stupid' was one of those things. So was 'asshole', 'jerk', and 'creep'.

But so was 'fighter' and he knew that he would have to be _really _stupid to let Fuu get away and not fight for her. If he let her go now, he was sure that he would never see her again.

So, using this logic, he tried to ignore the pain in his balls and he struggled to his knees. As he shifted, he felt a spike of pain lace through him and he braced himself on his arms as he dry heaved violently.

When the spasm of pain passed he groaned and pushed himself to his feet, straightening up slowly. He let out a soft whimper as he took a wobbly step. 'Damn. I can take bein blown up, shot at, and stabbed, but apparently having my nuts kicked turns me into a quivering 4 year old.'

This was enough to motivate him to ignore the pain. Or at least ignore some of it. Enough to find Fuu. Then he's gonna find himself an ice-cold lake and sit in it till his nuts stopped throbbing.

Wincing with each step, he started to run down the hill, trying to think where she would have gone in those brief moments of his...impairment.

As he made it to the street where he and Fuu had walked earlier he was surprised to realize that he wasn't mad at Fuu. He wasn't even upset. In fact, he felt like he _deserved _this pain. For the first time in his life, he had behaved badly and gotten _punished _for it. And he felt better because of it.

Coming around a corner, he caught sight of a shoe laying on the ground. He rushed over to it, as fast as he could and saw that it was indeed Fuu's. He sighed. 'Who else but Fuu loses a damn shoe and just continues walking?' He shook his head and suddenly saw that he was in front of the Inn where they were staying.

Somehow, he didn't think it would be that easy, but headed up to their room anyway in the hopes of finding her there.

He paused outside the door and heard Fuu's soft cries from within. Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding he slowly slid open the door, so as not to startle her. Then he saw what she was doing and froze.

She was putting on that damn scarlet silk kimono. She heard him and froze as well.

"What are you doing?" Mugen couldn't keep the whine out of his voice and he cringed inwardly at his tone.

"Stop!" She fastened her sash and then strode purposefully towards the door. "Excuse me." She said politely, and he stepped to the side to let her pass.

She was out the door before he even realized how truly stupid that was. He was just so surprised to have found her in the room.

'Idiot!' He mentally attacked himself, then whipped around to her but the doorway was already empty. He swore and rushed out to the hall, but that was also deserted.

She was probably already outside, so he reacted without quite thinking and dashed over to the window. Not even pausing to see what lay below, he swung his legs over the ledge and dropped down into the alley, wincing as he landed.

Before he could even stand up, he heard light footsteps quickly approaching.

He knew those footsteps, so he slide sideways to hide in the shadowed edge of the building and sure enough, Fuu was running as fast as she could manage with no shoes and that damn kimono billowing around her. She was looking behind her and didn't notice Mugen against the wall.

She raced by, but he snagged her around the waist as she passed him. She squealed when she felt his arm catch her. He quickly pulled her backwards against him, and he buried his nose in her hair, reassuring himself that he had indeed caught her.

"Let go of me you brute!"

"Shut up Fuu!" he whispered fiercely. "It's only me."

She twisted her head back to him and glared. "I know!"

She struggled violently, and he pressed her into the wall, pinning her wrists above her head and effectively trapping her with his hard body. She began to kick her legs when she felt him behind her, and he was getting a little nervous at those flailing limbs.

He planted both his legs against hers. Now she was completely pinned. He would make her listen to him.

She was panting from the exertion and suddenly thrust her backside against his groin. For a split second, he thought she was trying to entice him, but then he felt the pain and realized she knew he was still sore. He gave a harsh cry of pain, and she seemed to a little hesitant upon hearing him so weak. She didn't move her hips, but she stopped pressing so painfully against him.

"Please Fuu..." He let his head fall forward onto her exposed shoulder as he softly pleaded with her. "Just hear me out."

He felt her tense when he used such a soft tone, and she shifted away from him, relieving the pressure on his groin. He shuddered with relief.

"Mugen...?"

"Shut up." He released her wrists and let his hands fall down to her waist, where he wrapped them around her, coming to rest on her stomach. "I'm sorry." He nuzzled her shoulder and she gasped softly at his feather-light touch. "I only said that shit because you pissed me off." She was about to protest, but he silenced her by bringing a hand up to her mouth. He lightly caressed her lips with his fingertips. "I didn't mean any of it."

She was still. He barely heard her breathing. But he could feel her heart thundering against his chest.

"I don't like that Jin knew you were pregnant before I did. I don't like that you always went to him when I was the one who always came after you when you were in trouble." He paused for moment.

"I don't like that _he _didn't tell me either. It makes me feel left out." He pouted slightly against her skin.

"And I hate that you're still fightin me. All I'm trying to do is save you. Like I always did...do." When she didn't say anything, he moved his hand away from her mouth and wrapped it around her chest. He denied his urge to fondle her breast.

"Mugen." She seemed to relax completely against him, so he gave in and pressed his hand into the soft mound beneath her sparse clothing. He felt her nipple harden against his palm.

Fuu trembled and her head dropped back against his shoulder with a sigh. He took the opportunity to fasten his mouth to the soft skin of her neck. He kissed her, then lightly sucked on her pulse point. It beat a wild tempo against his mouth.

She moaned and tilted her head allowing him even more access to her neck. Mugen didn't want to disappoint, so he nipped her with his teeth. She unconsciously lifted one of her free arms behind her to tangle her fingers in his hair.

Mugen loved that. He loved being pet and stroked. So, when she started to caress his scalp with her fingers, he growled and flipped her around so she was facing him. She blinked up at him, shocked at how fast he had moved her.

He didn't even pause before he crashed his lips down on hers. She didn't react till he slid his hands down her sides to slits in her robe. He slid his hands inside the offending fabric and caressed the backs of her thighs.

He boldly cupped her ass and she shivered excitedly, moaning breathlessly. When her lips parted, he slid his tongue past her teeth and licked at the inside of her mouth.

Unlike the last time he tried, this time, she did not pull away.

Instead, she only gasped once in surprise then tilted her head back as he devoured her from the inside-out, her hands going up to stroke his hair again. Mugen had never kissed lips so soft, or a mouth so hot. He felt like he was falling and grunted in satisfaction, causing pleasant vibrations to run through them.

He probed every inch of her, and when he finally caressed her tongue with his own, she jerked in his grasp. He paused, then without moving his head away, asked her, "What's wrong?"

Fuu giggled. It felt weird to have someone speak _into _your mouth, he knew, but he was too determined not to let her go.

Unfortunately, she didn't possess the same talent. She had to disengage from him to form coherent words.

"Sorry, that was the first time someone's done that to me."

"What? Kiss you?" He quirked an eyebrow at her. It was pretty hard to be a whore and not be kissed. "Are you sure you were really working at a brothel? How is that the first time someone's stuck their tongue down your throat?"

Fuu furrowed her brow and seemed to think about it for a moment. "I didn't let anyone do that. I refused." She paused again, and Mugen could see she was debating telling him something.

"Spit it out."

"I...I would get whipped a lot because of that." She looked at him and waited to see his reaction.

He flushed angrily, then without warning, he tore open her robe, exposing the naked skin beneath it to the night air, and slid his hands inside and around to the soft skin on her back. He let his fingers travel up her spine as he searched. He found the first scar quickly, and the second right above it.

All together, she had four scars marring her otherwise perfect form. He unconsciously dug his fingers into the skin, as if he was trying to pull them off. She grunted slightly in pain, but didn't move him away.

"Mugen. It's nothing really. I got them because I made the choice to keep a part of myself away from the life I chose." She blushed. He loved seeing her blush.

"Besides, I would think that someone as egotistical as you, would have liked being my first kiss."

"What? Just now?"

"No, in the Inn the other night."

He shook his head. "Well, that's not a very good first kiss." He leaned down to her again, bringing his body flush against hers. "Let me make it up to you." Then he captured her lips again and kissed her hungrily. He shoved his fingers into her hair and tilted her head back as he nibbled on her lower lip.

Fuu moaned against him and pressed her still naked form more firmly into his. When she took the initiative to grab his hand and place it on her breast, he felt heat flood through him.

Suddenly, he hissed through his teeth and pushed away from her. She stared at him dazedly.

It had been a bad idea to kiss her. He felt himself getting hard, and the still-sore flesh wasn't reacting well to this at all. In fact, he felt like he was going to burst, and not in the way he wanted.

"Oh shit." He leaned against the wall opposite Fuu, gently cupping himself, and tried to think of unsexy things. 'Jin touching Fuu...Really old prostitutes...Priests...uh...Fuu after she gorges on food...That bastard who raped her!' That did it, he gave a relieved breath as his manhood calmed down.

He took a shaky breath and suddenly realized that Fuu had crossed over to him and was lightly caressing his cheek. He looked up to her. She met his eyes sympathetically.

"I'm sorry for kicking you. I didn't realize that you'd be needing that later." She pursed her lips at him prettily.

He started to laugh, but she cut him off when the hand that wasn't innocently stroking his face, suddenly appeared down near his stomach. She winked at him, and reached down to cup his wounded bits in a warm palm.

His eyebrows shot up. "Fuu? Uh-?"

"Shhhhh..." She gave him a gentle squeeze and he didn't know whether to moan in pleasure or pain.

"Your words were so cruel, but I think _this _might have been a punishment for _both _of us. I'm sorry I kicked you." She stepped closer, still not releasing him from her magnificent death-grip, and he realized that she had retied her sash at some point.

"I'm not gonna lie, Mugen. I've never enjoyed it." He didn't have to ask what 'it' was. "When all those men did those horrible things to me, I would just faze out and pretend I wasn't there. Sometimes it hurt though, and I couldn't ignore that. But usually, it was just _happening _and I didn't particularly care."

He was at odds with himself as she spoke. He was sickened at what she was saying, but he was also almost in Heaven because she hadn't stopped gently caressing his bruised flesh. She leaned closer to him and he caught the glint in her eye.

"But you were my first kiss, and I liked it. I liked when you put your tongue in my mouth. I liked it when you touched me. I _like _it." He was panting roughly, trying to control himself so as not to have another spasm of pain. "And I think, that if I do more with you, I'll like that too."

He couldn't take it anymore. He reached down to snag her wrist loosely. "Fuu...oh gods, please. I can't take it. Ya gotta stop." He was almost begging and she snickered. But she did let go.

"Alright. I'll stop." She didn't step back though, she just took a step closer and leaned against him. He wrapped a shaky arm around her and just held her.

"Since I'm not running away anymore, why don't we go back to our room. All that took a lot out of me and I'm exhausted."

He scowled. "_You're_ tired?"

He just rolled his eyes and stood up, dislodging her from his hold. "I don't suppose we can go back through the window. Come on then."

She fell into step beside him and slipped her hand into his. He didn't say anything, just held her hand back.


	7. I Guess

**AN****: I would like to send a shout-out to ****Buffalocatz****! They had mentioned in an awesome review wanting to know how Jin found out about Fuu's pregnancy and I just HAD to add it. I wasn't going to initially, but now it fits right in. Thank You Buffalocatz!**

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When they were finally safe in their room, Fuu went to change into one of the sleeping robes that Mugen had bought her, tossing that scarlet abomination aside.

She began to take down her hair, and he snatched the offending kimono off the floor and used his sword to hack it into pieces.

She turned to watch him soundlessly, arching a brow in question.

"I don't ever want to see you in _this_," He held up the tattered robe, "again! I got you that new stuff for a reason."

She regarded him thoughtfully.

He just tore up the remaining shreds with his bare hands, growling viciously, then threw them on the floor. He glared at her. "You better not try to fuckin sew that shit back together or somethin!" He stomped his foot to prove his point, knowing it was childish but not caring.

Fuu laughed at his serious tone. "It's not like I _want _to wear that. I just couldn't bear the thought of wearing something that would remind me of you if I was going to go back to that place. It'd hurt too much, you know?" She suddenly sniffled, wiping her eyes with her hand. "I'm so glad you came for me though. I haven't been happy since we split up."

Mugen wasn't sure if she meant saving her from the whorehouse or going after her in the alley, but it didn't matter.

She resumed taking down her hair, and he watched, fascinated, as it fell to her shoulders in waves and glittering strands.

Seeing his expression in the mirror, she blushed again. Once her hair was taken care of, she crawled over to the futon and pulled the covers up to her chin. Mugen watched her as he resumed his place on the floor.

She sat up to blow out the candle, sending the room into darkness. He could see her well enough by the moonlight and he watched her settle back into the bed. Then he leaned against the hard wall and closed his eyes.

"Mugen?"

He opened one eye to peer at her form. "Yeah?"

"Do you wanna sleep with me?"

"Yeah, but my nuts are too sore for that."

"Mugen!" She giggled and raised her head up to shake it at him. "I didn't mean it _that _way! I meant, this futon is big enough for two people, so why don't you come share it with me?" She laughed again. "Pervert."

He had never slept with anyone without actually 'sleeping with them' before. He was kinda nervous. What if he strangled her while he was sleeping? "I'm a violent sleeper. What if I attack ya or somethin in my sleep?"

Confusion filled her face. "What do you mean? I've seen you sleep before. You just sprawl on the ground and don't move till morning." She patted the space beside her. "Stop making excuses and get over her before your butt freezes off."

He hesitated for a minute then he got to his feet and loped over to the bed, trying to hide his anxiety with indifference. "Your not gonna roll over and crush me during the night, right?"

She snorted and turned on her side away from him.

He kicked off his geta and then peeled back the covers slowly. Trying not to disturb her, he crawled under the sheets and lay on his back, hands behind his head. He was trying very hard not to touch her, but it was in vain, since she suddenly turned back towards him and cuddled up into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and draped her arm across his chest.

He felt his heart pounding and he hoped that she couldn't hear it.

"Are you tired?"

He grunted in reply.

"Wanna talk or something?"

He grunted again.

"What do you want to talk about?"

He was about to grunt again, but she poked him in the chest warningly. "If you make that noise again, then I will tell you about my time in the brothel. I'll tell you about those men."

He shuddered, and shook his head.

"Alright then. What do you want to talk about then?"

He thought for a moment, scratching his chin. "I got somethin to talk about."

"What?"

"Why doncha tell me about when you told Jin about the kid and all that." He kept his tone level, but he was very nearly dying to hear what had happened.

She didn't answer him.

"Well? You're the one who wanted to talk. So get on with it already."

Sighing, she propped her head up on her elbow and peered at him sadly.

"You really want to hear about that?"

"Why not?"

"Okay."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**8 ½ months and ONE DAY earlier**

_Mugen was down by the ocean, swimming around and practicing with his new sword._

_Fuu was sitting on the cliff watching him below her. She sighed sadly and rubbed her abdomen. They had all been recuperating at her father's hut for about two weeks and tomorrow they were going to leave. She would be leaving them behind. Unless..._

"_Fuu."_

_She jumped at the smooth voice. She turned to see Jin standing behind her and she smiled at him. "Hi Jin! What's up?" She winced at the forced cheerfulness in her voice. He stared evenly at her._

"_May I join you?"_

"_Oh! Of course!" She patted the ground beside her and smiled up at him again. He sat down gracefully next to her and she was relieved to see that he showed no pain in his movements._

_For several minutes he said nothing and she began to get fidgety. She turned her eyes back down towards the beach and her gaze landed on Mugen, who was currently doing acrobatics along the water's edge. She felt a her heart clench painfully when he tripped and landed on his ass. He jumped up and kicked at the sand, as if it was it's fault for him falling down._

"_I'm sorry that neither me nor Mugen were able to reach you in time Fuu."_

_She tore her gaze from the dark-skinned pirate below her and turned to look at Jin in confusion. "What do you mean?" She smiled uncertainly._

"_To stop Umanosuke from raping you." _

_Her smile faltered. "W-What?" She shifted away from him uncomfortably. She was going to deny it, but she met his gaze and saw the unshakable wisdom in his sad eyes. She was struck by the unnatural beauty of him without his glasses. His hair was still unbound. She had to look away. "How did you know?" She asked quietly._

"_You have been walking different. Also, I touched your arm a week ago and you jumped like I had burned you." He faced the sea as he spoke. "Since I know that you think no ill thoughts of me, it can only be assumed that some trauma occurred beyond just physical punishment."_

_He paused then closed his eyes. "I regret everyday that we were not there to prevent such a thing from happening."_

"_It's okay Jin." She placed her hand on top of his. "I wasn't even aware of it at the time. He had knocked me out. I only realized after it happened. Don't worry about me."_

"_I only worry about your unborn child."_

_Fuu gasped audibly. She felt her cheeks burn with shame as she forced herself to face the sea. She couldn't look at him even though she felt his piercing gaze._

"_I'm not pregnant." She laughed forcibly trying to sound casual._

"_Your monthly flow has not come yet, and you keep holding your stomach. This indicates that you know you are with child." She burned with embarrassment, not even questioning how he knew when she bled. He was very perceptive and they had been traveling together for a long time._

_Fuu was shaking, trying to hold back the tears. It was all true and she felt so ashamed. Had she really been so obvious? Did Mugen know? She glanced down to the beach again but Mugen was nowhere to be seen._

"_Fuu." Jin shifted so he was right next to her and he pulled her to him. He fit her head against his neck and gently stroked her back. His kind movements broke down her last defenses and she let out the tears she'd been holding in. He soothed her and rocked her as she sobbed against him, the cries shaking her whole body._

_When the tears finally slowed, he continued to hold her. It felt so natural to her, having his arms around her. Like...Family._

"_If you want Fuu, I will stay with you. I will help you raise the child."_

_She pushed herself back from him enough to peer at his face. He was completely serious. "Are...Are you saying you'll marry me? What about Shino?"_

"_I love Shino still. I would have waited for her. But you are my friend. My best friend. I love you too and I cannot bear the thought of you undertaking this task by yourself. I also do not want you to endure the shame of having a child out of marriage. So, if you request it of me, I will stay by your side." He said all this as if he was conversing about the weather, yet Fuu knew he meant all of it._

_She felt confused, and unsure, and...and...comfortable. She relaxed against him too, wrapping her arms around his thin frame. "Thank you Jin."_

"_So you accept." He said this without infliction. Neither happy nor sad._

"_What? No!" Drawing back to look at him, she smiled and shook her head. "Oh Jin, no. I'm just thanking you for being such a wonderful friend. I love you too. But I can't marry you knowing you are in love with another person." She sighed and sat back on her legs, unwrapping her arms from around his torso. Turning back towards the sea, she jumped when Jin spoke again._

"_I suppose I could not be with someone who loved another either."_

_Fuu blinked at him with wide eyes. "Wha..What do you mean?"_

"_You're in love with Mugen. Do not deny it."_

_A small nervous laugh escaped her and she sighed yet again. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "So what if I am? It doesn't matter anyway. He doesn't love me back."_

_Jin lifted a pale hand and let it rest on her shoulder comfortingly. "I will not pretend to understand Mugen. It would make my head hurt. But he obviously cares about you. Why else would he have stayed with us all this time?"_

_Tears started to form in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "I know he cares about me. But he cares about you too. We're all friends. He never shows me anything but half-hearted affection. And even _that's _stretching it for him." _

_She stood and peered down to the pale ronin besides her, a weary expression on her face. "He probably sees me as a sister or something. Besides, I don't think Mugen would accept my love if I gave it to him anyways. He's too much of a rogue. I'd be holding him down. He doesn't want that."_

_She took a step back from him and started for the hut, when Jin's soft words stopped her. "How will you know unless you tell him?" She glanced back at him and he was still facing the sea. _

"_Truthfully Fuu, Mugen isn't the wisest when it comes to matters of the heart. I think he just assumes that he doesn't deserve love." He gracefully curved towards her, not meeting her eyes. "The offer still stands. I can stay with you until I go to get Shino. Then you are welcome to stay with us."_

_Fuu gave him a little smile as she walked over to him. "I need to deal with this on my own Jin. I just want you to know that everything you've said to me has been so wonderful and I will miss you...so so much!" She let out a small sob then leaned down and pressed her lips to his before he could respond._

_The kiss was gentle and soft. Just like him. It wasn't a kiss of passion, or of lovers. It was just an affectionate meeting of the lips. A chaste goodbye. _

_Fuu rose up and walked away to the hut without another word. Jin watched her go._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Well...that's it." She finished hesitantly. "The next day we split up."

Mugen didn't say anything for a long time. Eventually she must have thought he had fallen asleep and she snuggled closer to him in an attempt to do the same. His voice startled her when he finally spoke.

"I saw you together that day. I thought you two were screwing around behind my back or somethin." He tightened his hold on her and pulled her atop his chest. She sprawled on top of him, and she let her head rest over his heartbeat. It was strong and loud, just like him and he felt his pulse beat a little faster when she curled her fingers around his neck.

"I left the beach and saw you two on the cliff. I snuck over to the rocks and watched you. I couldn't hear you or anything, but I saw him hold you. Then I saw you kiss him." He clenched his jaw at the memory. "I thought you were talking about staying together and then the next day, you two split up anyway."

He rolled onto his side and nestled her against him as he buried his face in her hair. "Jin was right, the damn bastard. I wouldn't have wanted you then." He knew it was mean, and he felt her try to push him away from him as he said it.

"Wait. I wouldn't have wanted you then, because I didn't know what I wanted." He crushed her in his grip. "I didn't know I wanted you till I had to walk _away _from you. But dammit! I tried to go to you and you fucking ran away!"

Fuu seemed to go limp. "That was real? I thought I imagined it! I saw you standing there looking at Jin, then you looked at me and I just watched you watch me. I was so hopeful that you'd come after me, that when I saw you step towards me, I thought I imagined it!" She shook as fresh tears filled her eyes. "I got so scared that I started to run away before quite knowing what I was doing." Mugen wiped away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks. "For so long, I thought about that day. I convinced myself that I made up that part because I wanted it so bad."

They held each other in the dark for a long time, listening to the sounds of their hearts beating.

Just as he felt Fuu drifting off to sleep, he chuckled softly. "So Fuu, are you still in love with me?"

She groaned and smacked his chest playfully. "Go to sleep Mugen."

Even though he was teasing, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. Suddenly, desperately, he had to know. He tightened his arms around her and felt his heart pound. "No. Tell me. Are you?"

Fuu nuzzled against his chest and smiled drowsily. "Always." She didn't wait for a reply before finally drifting off to sleep.

Mugen lay awake for a long time after, not sure what he felt. Then he knew. "I guess I'm in love with you too." Then he let himself fall deeply asleep. It was the first time he's ever slept so peacefully.


	8. Morning Release

**AN**** Hey guys, It's finally here! Sex...**_**kinda**_**! I am taking a couple of seconds to write another warning even though the rating is **_**already**_** 'M'. I don't want anyone to get offended or squeamish, so...**

**WARNING: SEXUAL SITUATIONS IN THIS CHAPTER! IF THIS MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, PLEASE DO NOT READ! NOT FOR CHILDREN! PLEASE SKIP TO NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THIS, IT IS PWP (porn without plot) AND DOES NOT ALTER THE STORYLINE IN ANY WAY. (except for the sex)**

**Also, this is a short chapter! **

**I just needed to get it out of my head so I could move onto more serious matters, like FINISHING THE STORY! There was too much sexual tension in my head, so this is just a little release and I hope you all feel the same. 'wink wink'**

* * *

'What's wrong with the floor?'

Mugen shifted still half-asleep as he noticed that the floor was oddly soft. And warm. And there was something clinging to his side. 'Did I roll into the clothes pile?'

He opened one eye to survey his surroundings. The early morning sun was shining right in his face and he groaned. 'It's too early.' He rolled over trying to go back to sleep, towards the warm soft lump that was attached to him.

The lump sighed and he jerked away from it, sitting up quickly.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stole a glance threw his fingers to see what had made the noise. 'Oh.'

Fuu was still fast asleep, a small frown on her face due to Mugen's abrupt departure from her arms. He felt his lips twitch into a small smile. A smile he'd never let anyone see. He reached out with one hand and brushed her bangs away from her face.

He watched her contentedly. Her hair was mussed from sleep, and her robe was tousled around her shoulders, revealing creamy shoulders. Somehow, he found her much more alluring in this simple white shift than he had in the other kimono. It was so innocent and sweet. Something he's never been allowed to experience.

He felt compelled to taste her skin. Leaning down slowly, he let his tongue trace a small circle on the warm surface of her collarbone.

She sighed and shifted towards him. He took this as permission and stretched his body on top of hers. As he let his weight rest fully on her, her felt awareness flood her limbs. She mumbled something and blinked her eyes open, squinting at her surroundings.

"Whacha doin Mumu?"

He ignored the pet name, knowing she still not awake enough to realize what she said, and smirked at her.

"This." He bent his head to the side of her head and lightly sucked on her earlobe, drawing the sensitive flesh into his warm mouth. She shuddered underneath him, and he felt her hands grasping his shirt.

"Mugen!" She yelped as he gently bite down. "What are you doing?" This time she was fully awake and she arched beneath him.

He knew no one had ever done this to her. He decided to forget sex for the moment and play with her some more, seeing how much he could make her moan.

Releasing her earlobe, he leaned back onto the bed, straddling her hips. She looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. She looked hungry. For him. It made his blood race.

For someone who's 'never enjoyed sex before', she sure was heating up quickly. Or maybe it was just that she enjoyed _him._

He felt tremors race up his spine at the thought, and he lifted himself off her enough to throw the bed sheet aside, exposing her bare legs. As he sat down on her hips again, he noticed that during the night, her robe had wound itself up around her thighs to a dangerous height. He saw the shadows between her legs, and licked his lips absently. Any higher and Mugen wouldn't be able to control himself.

'No, this is for her.'

He was surprised at the thought, but knew instantly that he _did _want to please her. He wanted to show her the pleasant side of sex. Well, the pleasant side of being with a man period. He was sure she'd never even had an orgasm.

'I can fix that.' A slightly evil smirk crept onto his face and he saw Fuu's get apprehensive. He slid backwards down her slender legs and kneeled at her feet.

"Uh Mu-Mugen? What are you-Ah!" She shrieked as he roughly grabbed her ankles and thrust her legs apart. Lifting one slim leg, he bent his head to place a soft kiss on her foot. She giggled and some of the worry left her face. He darted his tongue out and ran it from her ankle to her calf, slowly moving closer to her.

When he saw she might start to protest, he pressed a few moist kisses along her left knee, then he moved over to the right. She relaxed again, but only slightly at the look of mischief in his eyes.

He reached up to her robe, and pulled at the simple loose tie around her waist. With a single tug, he opened it, and spread the sides to let the morning sun shine on her naked form.

She didn't look away from him but he saw her face grow tense. Then she leaned back on the bed and seemed to go limp. He knew she's react like this. She thought he was just going to screw her, and she was shutting down. But Mugen had other ideas.

He wrapped his long fingers around her knees and pulled her further down the bed, spreading them a little as she slid down. She still didn't react.

"Fuu-Uuu..." He used her name in a little sing-song voice and he was satisfied to see her lift her head from the mattress to look at him curiously. "Watch me, Fuu." He made sure she was looking him in the eyes and he slowly lowered his head towards the juncture of her thighs.

Her eyes widened and she tried to jerk her legs out of his tight grip. He spread her thighs even more, feeling her legs muscles stretching to their limit, and he paused, mere inches from her sex. She watched him, pushing herself up on her elbows, eyes anxious and unblinking. She was completely exposed to him.

He smiled and blew softly onto the dark patch of curls, his hot breath tickling her ultra sensitive flesh. She shuddered, torn between pleasure and confusion.

He made sure that she was looking him in the eyes, then he held her stare as he descended those last few inches and ran his tongue up her moist center.

Fuu moaned harshly, eyes rolling back into her head. Her arms gave out and she collapsed onto the mattress.

That's exactly the response he wanted. She was already drunk on sensation and he'd only touched her once. It made him hard, and he moved to get more comfortable.

Relaxing onto his stomach on the mattress, he lowered his head once again and let his tongue caress her again. He swirled it in between the folds and revealed the pink skin inside.

Kissing her intimately, he felt her legs fall open of their own accord and he moved his nimble fingers up to spread her lips and reveal her quivering flesh further.

He stroked one finger against her opening and marveled at how aroused she was. "Gods Fuu, you're so wet."

She only moaned incoherently at him, hips shifting restlessly. He knew she was ready and he covered her with his hot mouth and gently sucked at her. She bucked her hips against him and moaned again, this time nearly shouting.

He closed his eyes and focused on the feel of her in his mouth. She was incredibly wet and the heat pouring off of her almost burned him. He'd done this for a few girl before, but at that time it had been merely to get them to let him fuck them.

Now it was different.

Mugen doubted he would even try to screw her after. But instead of ceasing his movements at the thought of no satisfaction for him, he only doubled his efforts. He wanted her to be not able to move. He wanted to feel her muscles clamping down on his fingers and his tongue. But most of all, he wanted her to scream his name.

He used his tongue to find the small bundle of nerves that lay nestled at the top of her sex and he dragged his lips over it.

"Gah! Mu-MU-ah!"

She wasn't even making words anymore. When he grazed his teeth over the sensitive nub, she clamped her thighs around his head and shuddered violently.

Without taking his mouth away from her he reached down and pushed her legs up so that he knees were bent and her thighs were in less danger of crushing him. Keeping his hands underneath her knees, he pushed her legs higher, lifting her feet from the bed and opening her more.

He kept kissing and licking at her and soon the room was filled with her moans and gasps. When he felt he had tortured her enough, he moved in for the kill.

Releasing one of her legs, he used that free hand to push two fingers into her. Since she wasn't a virgin, they slid in easily.

She arched off the bed and then sat up to grab at him. She leaned over him and buried her fingers in his hair and tugged so hard it was almost painful. Almost. Mugen enjoyed it though, because every time he slid his fingers back in, her grip would tighten, then loosen when he withdrew.

He twisted his hand so that his palm faced up, and felt along the top of her inner walls for the little bundle of nerves he knew lay just inside. He prodded and poked and soon found the ridge of her g-spot. He lightly scraped his nails over it. She shrieked.

"Ah! It's never felt like that!"

Mugen had guessed right that sex fer her had probably been fast and dry, leaving her feeling very little but friction burn. He was going to make sure this changed her views on sex.

He fastened his mouth right onto her mound and be bit down hard enough to send shock waves through her. He plunged his fingers in and out of her in a blur and he felt her muscles fluttering, signaling she was close.

"Oh gods! I-!"

He bit her one more time and then smoothed his tongue over the soft core. She gave a ragged cry then her entire body clenched around him and he felt her muscles cling to his fingers.

"**MUGEN**!"

She came hard, jerking and spasming as she rode the waves of her very first orgasm.

'Which _I_ gave her.' He thought smugly.

He brought her down from her high by gently stroking her and lapping at her. He removed his fingers and licked them clean.

Fuu finally lay back on the bed, completely spent and twitching every few seconds. He slinked up her body and pressed a possessive kiss to her trembling lips. She was panting.

"MugenMugenMugen...Mugen..." She chanted his name like a prayer. He wrapped his arms around her is a loose hug and ran his fingers through her hair. She whispered his name once more, then fell asleep with a tired smile on her face.

Mugen had never felt more proud in his life. But now he was left with a dilemma. He was still very hard and Fuu was very asleep. He debated going to the bathhouse to relieve himself, then dismissed that thought. 'When I come, it will be in her.'

He kept thinking that, and drifted back to sleep with Fuu in his arms. He was getting used to falling asleep like this.


	9. Mugen and Fuu

**AN: Alright, HERE IT IS! The Final Lemon! It's a doozy folks! That's why I took so long with this one... 'grins sheepishly' I'm sorry for the wait. Anyway, here's the warning:**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A LEMON! THAT MEANS SEX! NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN OR PRUDES! PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THIS OFFENDS YOU! **

**If you'd like to read this without the lemony goodness, then stop at the line **"Will you...Will you make love to me? I want you to so bad." **This is where the lemon starts. (God, I hated doing that. Cause that's like, the BEST part!)**

**Anyway, Please Enjoy!**

---------------------------------

Mugen's stomach woke him up, demanding food. He rolled away from Fuu's addicting warmth and peered sleepily at the window. 'It's _gotta _be time for lunch.' His stomach rumbled in agreement.

Raising his arms above his head in a spine-cracking stretch, he realized how peaceful he felt. How warm. How...wet?

He shifted his hips.

"Damn."

He had made a mistake in falling asleep holding Fuu while still hard. Consequently, he must have ground his hips against her in his sleep, causing this...unfortunate situation.

"_Damn_." He cursed himself. 'I haven't creamed my pants since I was a kid.' He shook his head.

'Well...I best take care of this before Fuu gets up. I'd probably never hear the end of it.'

He silently crawled out of bed and made his way over to the doorway. Pausing as his foot hit a squeaky board, he glanced back to see if Fuu had heard.

She was still sprawled on the bed, tangled in the covers. Soft snores passed through her lips, and Mugen doubted that he had ever seen anything so cute.

'Cute? Jeez, she's turning me into a pansy. Next I'll be wearing aprons and braiding my hair.'

He turned to exit the room and paused again, suddenly thinking of something. He held out his hands and examined them. They were stained with dirt and grass. He held up one arm and sniffed his pit.

He shuddered. For some reason, he suddenly felt..._dirty_. He had never minded being filthy before.

Before Fuu.

Now, at the prospect of having sex with her, something he intended to do _very _soon, he was afraid he'd somehow taint her perfect body. He didn't like that feeling. It made him feel inferior. But he hated the thought of touching her with his newly-discovered unclean self even more.

Making his way back into the room, he bent at the pile of stuff he'd bought for Fuu. Rifling through it, he found the small bar of soap he had thought she'd like. It smelled like flowers, and he frowned at it. Not exactly manly, but it would have to do if he wanted to do this before she woke up.

He grinned smugly. 'I doubt she'll be wakin anytime soon though...I took a lot outa the poor girl.' He chuckled.

Searching through the pile again, he found a small scrub brush and decided that was all he could handle for now. This would probably be his first _real _bath. Ever.

With his bundle secured he finally left the room, and padded down to the bathhouse. He grabbed a towel and shucked his clothes, rolling them into a tight ball. He wrapped the towel around his waist and dunked his clothes into a basin of warm water near the door. Usually one of the maids would do this, but he didn't want to wait for one.

He used the bar of soap to half-heartedly scrub at them, trying in vain to get out the stains. 'At least they'll _smell _better.' When he figured they were clean enough, he hung them on the wooden poles standing outside the door. There was a strong wind and the material was thin, so he figured that they would be dry by the time he was done.

Clad only in a towel, with soap and brush in hand, he sighed dejectedly and walked further into the bathhouse to the hot springs. It was empty now. Mugen figured everyone was out having lunch considering the hour. He and Fuu _had _slept late.

'Well, I guess I won't be going to bed early tonight. Maybe I'll have Fuu wear me out...' He settled into the steamy water of the hot spring as thoughts of what exactly Fuu could do to "wear him out" drifted around his head. He smiled and the thoughts strengthened his resolve.

He snatched at the soap and held it in between his hands in a death-grip. He stared at it and scowled. "Look, ya little bastard." He squeezed it and felt it smush in his fingers. "I don't like you, and you don't like me. But I gotta clean up for Fuu and _you_," he jabbed one finger at it threateningly, "are going to help me. Got it?"

The soap didn't answer. He sighed and brought it up to his bare chest. Sighing again, this time as if he just got sentenced to death by Jin, he let the sudsy bar rest on his chest and he swirled it around his skin in a small circle. It didn't kill him. He grinned. 'Mugen - 1. Soap – 0.'

With fresh enthusiasm, he picked up the brush and scrubbed the soap against it's firm bristles, getting it foamy. He lifted the brush over his shoulder and brought it down to his back. When he scrubbed against the never-before-cleaned skin, he growled at the sensation. It felt _good_. The firm bristles caused little electric jolts to shoot down his spine. Not quite sexual, but still very satisfying.

He spent several minutes just washing his back, then he realized that he had much more...offending places that could use the soap.

He scoured the brush over his arms and legs, his stomach and neck. He spent extra time on his feet and hands, trying almost-successfully to clean under the nails. They were clean_er_, at least.

Next, he washed his crotch, scrubbing as hard as he could handle before the pain got to be too much. When he felt that he had scoured off a few layers of skin down there, he dunked his head under the water to wet it, then attacked his hair with the mostly-used up bar of soap. The soap dissolved into nothingness as he used the last of it to clean his face.

'There! Done! _Finally_!' Mugen dunked under the water one more time, swishing his fingers through his hair to rinse any leftover soap, then climbed out of the tub. He grabbed the towel that he had dumped on the floor, and started to dry himself vigorously. Bringing it up to his head, he rubbed out the moisture then shook his head to achieve that lazy wild mane he had perfected.

But suddenly he realized he wasn't alone anymore.

He smiled, thinking it was Fuu, and turned towards the newcomer. He stopped, arching a brow at the stranger before him.

"Hey Honey." She cooed. "Sorry for staring, but the show was incredible." She winked seductively at him and approached him. Mugen stared at her. She was probably a few years older than him, big-breasted, and made-up like a whore. Her red lips smiled at him.

"Are you done already, or can I join you?"

Mugen knew how he _should _respond to a woman like this. He _should _make some coy suggestion and have her share a bath with him. He _should_ kiss her in the steamy water. He _should _screw her, then never think of her again.

But he suddenly felt his stomach churn violently at the sight of her opening kimono, which kept dropping lower towards the valley of her ample chest.

"Yeah...No thanks woman. I ain't got time for someone like you." He sneered at her in disgust and shoved past her to get to the door. Reaching for his clothes he realized that he was still naked and he pulled on his shorts as he walked towards his room, not caring if anyone saw him. He just wanted to get away from that woman. He wanted to get back to Fuu.

He was pulling on his shirt as he opened the door and was surprised to see that Fuu was already up. She was sitting in front of the mirror, brushing her hair. She had already gotten dressed in the other kimono he had bought her. The white one with the sunflowers on it. He stared at her hungrily and when she met his eyes in the mirror, she blushed and looked away.

He walked over and crouched behind her. He saw the embarrassed grin on her face and he felt her breath quicken. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he grazed his lips across her neck and was rewarded with a small moan from her. He whispered in her ear. "Mornin Fuu. Sleep good?"

She giggled a little uncontrollably and her face turned even redder. She wouldn't look him in the eyes. He tightened his grip on her, drawing her nearer to him and he sat behind her, pulling her between his legs. Her back rested comfortably against his chest. He just held her for a moment, letting her get over her embarrassment of what he had done to her earlier that morning.

When he felt her heartbeat resume a more normal pace, he let his face rest against her hair. "You know, you don't have to be embarrassed. You're so hot when you come." She gasped and sputtered at him. He just laughed. She reached around and swatted at him playfully.

"Mugen! Don't be so crass!"

"What? Come on! You worked in a _whorehouse_." He said it slowly, as if she had forgotten. "I'm sure you've heard worse than that."

"Well...Yeah!...But, um...You know...I never really..._I_ didn't..." She trailed off.

"You never had an orgasm before." He stated this as a fact, already knowing the answer.

She answered anyway. "Yeah...I never knew that..."

"Never knew what?"

She hesitated then met his gaze in the mirror in front of them. "I didn't know it was so _good_." She blushed again, but didn't look away. He almost growled at her, wanting to take her to bed and show her what else was 'good'.

But then her stomach rumbled. And his did too.

They laughed. Mugen enjoyed the moment, not caring that he was laughing in front of Fuu. _Really_ laughing. And Fuu didn't call attention to it, but he could tell that she noticed, and she grinned at him.

Mugen stood and looked down at her. "Wanna go get some chow?" He helped her up to her feet.

"Definitely, I feel like I could eat a whole table full of dumplings!"

He grabbed his money sack and grinned at the heaviness of it. He'd hit the jackpot with that last job. He glanced at Fuu. She was standing by the door, pinning up her hair and waiting for him with a smile.

'I think that I would have taken that job even if it hadn't paid, as long as I knew I'd be finding _you_.'

He watched as she cocked her head questioningly, wondering why he was staring at her.

'Scratch that. I'd _definitely _have done it. I'd even have paid them.' He gave her a grin and walked over to her, pressing kiss on her collarbone before walking out he door. Her heard her sniff the air, still in the room.

"Wait...Mugen, did you...?" She followed him out into the hallway. "Did you take a _bath_?!" He laughed again and didn't answer her.

"Come on girly. Let's eat."

-----------------------------

They chose a crowded teahouse, and found the only two seats left near the back.

A waitress appeared and they placed large food orders, each trying to order more than the other, when Fuu suddenly frowned and shortened her order to only a few things. Mugen quirked an eyebrow at her, but decided to wait till the waitress left to ask what was wrong.

The server gathered their menus and promised to be quick as she left. Mugen turned to Fuu intently.

"What's up with you?"

"I just...I just realized that I'm probably costing you so much money. I feel so guilty. I didn't even think that you had limited funds till right now." She hung her head and looked so dejected that Mugen scoffed at her.

"Listen sweetcheeks." Fuu blushed at the endearment. "I ain't got no one else to spend my money on but me. That's the way it's always been. Now I have you too, and I don't mind giving you things. In fact, I kinda like it." He gave her a small smile and reached out to cup her face in his hand. "I've never been able to spoil someone before." She relaxed and smiled back at him.

He lowered his voice so that only she would hear, "Besides..." He purred at her. "Who said that I wouldn't be expecting some sort of payment in return?" He let one of his fingers stray from her cheek and caress her lower lip.

He was surprised when she opened her mouth and sucked his finger into her mouth. Her tongue stroked his digit and he groaned. "I didn't mean right now." He shivered, growing hard at the sight of his finger in between her lips and the heat of her mouth against his hand.

"Fuu, maybe we should go back to the-"

"Here you go! The best food in town! Enjoy!" The waitress plopped four trays of food down on the table and Fuu released him from her mouth, breaking the spell.

"Oooh, this all looks so good! Thank You!" Fuu thanked the waitress and began to eat voraciously. He was relieved to see her so excited about it.

'Who knew she just needed some good tongue action?' He began to eat as well, and soon all the plates were completely empty. He sat back and patted his stomach contentedly. He saw Fuu do the same.

Mugen paid the waitress and grabbed Fuu's hand, dragging her to her feet and leading her outside. He had a sudden thought.

"Hey Fuu."

"Yes?"

"I'm getting kinda sick of this town. Let's get on the road and find a new one to stay at for a while." He glanced over at her casually. "Sound good?"

She looked confused, but didn't question. "Sure. It might be nice to travel again. I have to warn you though, my legs aren't very strong anymore because I've been stuck inside for so long. We'll have to go slow."

"Won't be any different from before."

"Hey!" She smacked him on the back of the head and he laughed at her.

"Come on, you're a slowpoke and you know it." He grabbed her hand and pulled her alongside him. "We're gonna need some supplies."

"Like what?"

"Well, food. I'm not gonna deal with eating pine cones again."

She snorted with laughter. "Please tell me you aren't serious!"

"Why? What's wrong with pine cones?"

She cracked up at his expression. "Mugen!" She gasped between breaths. "Pine cones aren't food. They're inedible!"

"Oh. I was wonderin why my mouth kept bleeding." She doubled over with laughter.

"You're such a nut." She gazed at him fondly. He blinked at her.

"A nut?" He frowned. "Girly, I've been called a lot of things. But I don't think anyone's called me a 'nut' before." She stopped and he turned to her. She stood on tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

"That's cause you're _my _nut." He grinned stupidly at her, and she kissed him again.

"I guess I can deal with that." He scratched his chin. "Alright, enough foolin around. Let's go stock up."

They spent a few hours in the market buying two backpacks, a large one for him and a smaller one for her; food; a second set of clothes for him, including sleeping robes; a small skillet; and a roll-out futon. Mugen bought only one of these, and it was small. Fuu saw it but didn't say anything.

When Mugen was satisfied with their purchases, they made their way back to their room. Fuu made to get ready for bed but he stopped her.

"No. I wanna leave now."

She looked pointedly at the window. "But Mugen, it's gonna be sundown in a few hours. We can't stay just one more night?"

He scoffed impatiently. "No. I'm getting antsy bein around all these people for so long." He expected her to keep fighting but surprisingly, she relented.

"Alright. Just give me a minute to pack my stuff." With that, she swiftly folded her clothing and stuffed them in her pack, then she reached for the skillet and food but he stopped her.

"No, I'll carry all that. You carry your stuff."

"But, that's a lot."

"You think I can't handle it?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, obviously you can. I just wanted to help is all. At least let me pack it. You'd probably just stuff it all in there in a heap."

"And what's wrong with that?"

She rolled her eyes again, then started to pack the bag, folding everything and placing it gently inside. He marveled at how neat she was. She came to the rolled-up futon and tied it securely to the top.

"All set! Let's go." She shouldered her pack and stood, waiting for him. He did the same, pulling the pack over his sword and they left the Inn.

-------------------------------

They walked at a comfortable pace, him not too fast, and her not too slow. Sometimes they'd hold hands, and sometimes they'd stop to kiss, but other than that, they continued at a steady speed.

Soon, the sun began to set, but Mugen didn't want to stop yet. He kept walking and Fuu stayed at his side uncomplaining.

After the sun disappeared from the skyline, Mugen sighed and stopped.

"What's wrong?" Fuu whispered at his side, not moving. "Is something there?"

He yawned and scratched his ass, smiling at her. "Don't be so dramatic. I'm tired. Let's make camp."

"Oh. You scared me for a second. Walking with you brings back memories. I'm pretty much expecting to get kidnapped any second."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'll protect ya."

She grabbed his hand. "I know."

He led them off the road searching for a suitable area to spend the night. He wanted to be secluded from any prying eyes. And ears. They would be loud. He would make sure of it.

After a few minutes, he saw a small clearing near a rock wall and was pleased to find that the rock face had a good-sized opening that led to a cave. 'Perfect'.

He pulled her inside and moved to remove his pack. When she had done the same, he grabbed her roughly and drew her to him, capturing her lips. Like a pro, she opened her mouth and met his tongue with her own. He felt proud because he had taught her that.

He began to push her down to the floor, and she pushed against his chest, stopping him. He groaned angrily.

"What?! What's wrong?! Come on, I've been waiting for this all day!" He glared at her.

She regarded him calmly and smacked him against the head. He blinked at her rubbing the side of his head.

"Mugen, you idiot! I don't want to do this on the _ground_!" She pointed to the roll-out futon. "You bought that thing, so why don't you use it!" She folded her arms across her chest and glared right back.

"Oh..." He walked over to the futon, and spread it out on the ground. The mattress wasn't really thick, It was really just a long pillow, and the sheet it came with was a little thin, but it was better than the ground and it would serve its purpose.

He lay back on it, leaning on his elbows and looked over at her expectantly. "Well? Better?"

She nodded and blushed, approaching him slowly. He didn't pressure her, just waited silently. When she reached the edge of the bed, she paused, then kneeled next to him and leaned forward to press her face into his neck. She inhaled deeply.

"What are ya doin?"

"Smelling you. You smell like that soap you bought me." She said against his neck as she let her weight drape over him.

"Yeah, about that. I used the rest of it."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you bathe?"

"I thought you'd like it. Don't you?" He was growing tired of talking.

"Yes, it's very nice. But I prefer the normal way you smell. All musk and earth and heat. It's so feral and dangerous." She shivered against him. "It turned me on."

He snorted angrily. "So I did this for nothing?"

She giggled into his neck, and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "No, not for nothing. It lets me know that you care about me."

He felt his breath catch and he grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back so he could see her face. "After all I've done, you're still questioning whether or not I _care_?"

She bit her lip and didn't answer him. He shook her gently. "Damnit Fuu. Of course I care about you."

"How much?"

"Huh?"

"How. Much." She spoke slow and purposefully. Mugen suddenly felt nervous.

'I think I've been set up. Ah well. I guess I should tell her.' He pulled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her, laying back flat against the mattress.

"I...love you Fuu." He breathed out deeply, surprisingly relieved.

She suddenly sobbed against him and he rolled over to his side, pulling her with him. He let her fall to her back onto the sheet, and leaned over her. "What's wrong? Isn't that what you wanted?" She sobbed again and looked up at him with watery eyes.

"Do you mean it?"

He lowered his head and stared right into her eyes. "Yes. I love you."

She sobbed again and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh Mugen! I love you too!"

He let her cry against him and he pressed kisses into her hair. That had been a lot less difficult than he thought it would be. Truthfully, he never thought he would say that at all, but what did he know anyway? He should have known earlier when he was taking a _bath_, that he'd changed. Drastically.

And despite always saying that love was 'for pansies', he suddenly realized that he was hard. Achingly hard. He needed Fuu to stop crying so he could get on with it.

He unconsciously pressed his erection against her thigh.

She stopped crying and leaned back to look at him. He saw the tear tracks on her cheeks and he wiped them away, surprised at his own tenderness. She smiled shyly at him.

"Mugen?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you...Will you make love to me? I want you to so bad."

He raised his eyebrows. 'Make love?' He'd never called it that before. She was looking at him so hopefully, that he felt he couldn't refuse, even if he did feel uncomfortably pressured by the power of the phrase 'make love'.

He decided not to answer her, in case he messed it up somehow. Instead, he bent his head and kissed her, gently at first, then she whimpered into his mouth and he deepened the kiss.

He rolled atop her and shoved open her kimono, letting it pool at her sides, then ran his hands up her sides and cupped her breasts in his palms. She moaned softly.

Breaking the kiss, he trailed his tongue down her neck and chest to capture a rosy nipple in his mouth. He bit it gently and swirled his tongue around the tip. Fuu moaned louder and arched her back, thrusting her chest against him. He switched to her other breast and bit her again, fondling the one he just left and eliciting a sharp gasp.

He sat up to remove his shirt and then pressed his bare chest against hers. It felt fantastic. Mugen had never felt skin as soft as Fuu's. He rubbed against her playfully and she giggled at him. He sat up once more to remove his shorts, but she stopped him with a hand on his own. He looked at her questioningly.

"Wait Mugen...I just want to say before this happens...If I'm not any good..." She frowned and bit her lip. "I just want to say I'm sorry if I not as good as any of the other women you've been with..."

He just stared at her. How could she say that? Didn't she know that he'd never been as hard as he was right now, or how hot she had been when she came this morning? She made him ache for her without even showing any skin. He wanted her when she smiled and when she laughed and every time in between. He wasn't sure how to tell her this so he just smiled, took her hand and brought it down to rest on the hardness underneath his shorts.

"Feel that?"

She nodded mutely, the shock on her face clear.

"That's for you." He shuddered when she gently brushed her fingers against him.

"Jeez Mugen..." She withdrew her hand when she felt him jerk in her grasp. "I'm sure you don't need to hear this, but that's pretty impressive."

He grinned wickedly. "I know. And you can say that as much as you want, I won't mind one bit. You can use words like 'huge', 'massive', or my personal favorite, 'one giant motherfu'-"

"Mugen!" She groaned exasperated. "Can we _please _try not to kill the mood completely?"

"Alright, how's this?" He stood and shucked his shorts in one fluid move, then displayed himself proudly in front of her. "Ya ready?"

Fuu stared at him with wide eyes, but didn't protest and pulled her kimono off her shoulders and placed it to the side of the bed. She reached up and removed the pins from her hair and let it fall to her shoulders.

He watched her sigh deeply and lay back on the mat. "Okay, I'm ready."

He wasted no time in covering her body with his own and he kissed her hungrily. His hands roamed over her body and she wrapped her arms around his neck. For a moment, he was content with the simple contact. But he soon wanted more and he let his fingers graze her skin as he trailed them down to her thighs. He pulled her legs apart and settled between them.

Without a warning, he positioned himself at her opening and thrust into her. She gasped and tensed beneath him. He cast a quick glance at her face and silently cursed when he saw her eyes glaze over.

'Oh no you don't!' He wasn't gonna let her shut down on him just because of bad memories. He grabbed her hips and pulled her close then rolled them over so she was straddling him. She lay against his chest, knees planted on either side of his hips, and blinked at the change of positions.

She pressed her hands against his chest and hesitantly sat up, raising her eyebrows at him. "What are you doing?"

He chuckled at her confused expression. "I think a better question is, what are _you _doing Fuu?"

She drew her brow together and pondered the question. "What _am _I doing? I've never done it like this. I didn't know I could." She looked at him innocently. "What do I do now?"

"Play with me. _Use _me. Why don't you shift your hips a little bit and see what feels good."

She hesitated for another minute, then tilted her hips back and forth. "Oh!" She did it again and Mugen watched as her eyes closed and her head fell back. She began to gasp softly as her hips rocked against him. The gentle clenching of her muscles around him was driving him crazy. He needed more sensation.

He grabbed her hips and raised her up his length, the he brought her back down. She moaned harshly and repeated the motion on her own. He felt her growing slicker and hotter and he drew in a ragged breath. When she began to twist her hips as she raised herself, he growled and shut his eyes as well, wanting to savor the sensation of her riding him.

She continued to bounce on him and soon she was crying out with each thrust. He reached out blindly and sought her breasts. He grabbed them and pawed at them, forgetting to be gentle. She pressed her nails into the skin of his chest and her hips jerked uncontrollably.

"Mugen, I need..I _need_...!"

He opened her eyes and she was staring down at him, a helpless expression on her face. "What?"

"I...Aah! I need help! I need _help_,Mugen!" He understood and sat up so their chests aligned and he grabbed her hips.

"Fuu, put your hands on my shoulders for leverage." She did as he said, gripping him tightly. He stilled her trembling hips, kissed her deeply, then began to grind her against him. He thrust her onto him only slightly, knowing that right now she only needed the friction.

Her breath quickened and she arched against him, latching her mouth onto his as she let him guide her. He moved her hips faster and she suddenly shrieked, her body twitching violently as she came.

"**Mugen**! Oh! I-" He cut her off with his lips, caressing her tongue with his own. She whimpered into his mouth and he felt her inner walls clenching him tightly.

After a minute of jerking and shuddering, she sagged against him and let her head fall onto his shoulder. She was mumbling something but he couldn't quite hear her. He cradled her back against his arms and laughed at the slightly delirious smile on her face.

"What was that Fuu?"

"Why are you still hard?"

He purred in his throat and kissed her deeply. "Because I'm not done with ya yet." Before she could object, he rolled them over again and pinned her beneath him once more. "That first one was for you, but this one is for me." He rolled his hips and she hissed as her over-sensitized skin felt the drag of him inside of her. He slowly thrust in and out of her, and he watched her face. This time she was basking in the sensations and he picked up speed, satisfied that she wouldn't shut down again.

He felt her wrap her legs around his hips and he thrust into her harder. He felt that familiar fluttering in his stomach and knew he was close. He continued to pound into her, loving the sound of their skin colliding.

Suddenly, Fuu gave a loud moan and she snaked her fingers through his hair, tugging fiercely. "Mugen, I'm gonna...It's happening again!"

He dug his fingers into her hips and pulled her to him with each thrust, getting closer and closer to release. He drowned out her voice and just focused on getting there. Closer...Closer...Almost there...

Fuu suddenly yelled beneath him and he felt her muscles clamp down on him again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her nails into his back. He felt his skin tear and he knew she had drawn blood, but it didn't matter. At the feel of her tightly clasping muscles, he went over the edge.

He roared as he had the most core-shaking orgasm of his life. He gritted his teeth and blindly pumped into her as his whole body convulsed.

He collapsed onto Fuu and felt her coming down from the aftershocks of her own release. They both were breathing heavily and neither moved for a long time.

When Mugen felt he _could _move again, he rolled off of her, laying on his side tiredly. He managed to push her away onto her side, then he slid behind her and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close.

Fuu spoke first, breaking the silence. "Wow. Now I know why people have sex." She giggled sleepily, then yawned. She snuggled back against him and he draped his arm over her hip. "Mugen?"

He grunted wearily.

She kicked at his shin. "Mugen! Don't be one of those guys that falls asleep right after!"

He grunted again, then drifted asleep. The last thing he heard was Fuu shrieking indignantly. "You jerk! Men!"


	10. Epilogue

**AN: ****I would like to take a moment to THANK all the readers for their reviews and a special thanks to the people who helped me during this little adventure. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! I can't believe I wrote this story on a whim and it's only the second Fanfic I've ever written...EVER.**

**Thanks for being loyal fans and don't forget to check out my author page for my other Mugen/Fuu stories! (Just click on my name at the top of the page to get there!)**

**Thanks again and I humbly asks for reviews to stoke the fires of my writing demon!**

**--------------------------------------**

Mugen leaned against the doorway of the house and tapped his foot impatiently on the ground.

'Where the hell is she?' He glanced at the sun and noted that it had to be at least an hour since she left. He huffed angrily and threw open the door to the house and stormed inside. He scowled at the room, hoping to find something to help pass the time. He caught sight of his sword and sighed. He would be reduced to sharpening his sword, a task he usually ignored because he didn't have the attention span for it. It was too _boring_.

He grimaced and grabbed his sword and the sharpening stone and went back outside to sit in the sun. He found a grassy spot where he could clearly see the road and started to sharpen his much-loved blade.

Mugen couldn't understand why Fuu hadn't let him go with her to the town doctor. Just because the last time he went he gave the guy a black eye for touching Fuu's chest. He had _claimed _to just be checking her heartbeat, but Mugen knew him for the pervert he was. 'Doctors. Who needs em?' Mugen himself had never been to the doctor. Of course, he was built from strong Ryukyu stock. Fuu was much more delicate.

He sighed again, this time forlornly. He missed Fuu. He really was turning into a pansy when he couldn't deal with being alone for more than 10 minutes. He ceased his chore, and let his sword drop to the ground. He put his hands behind his head, relaxed against the building and let his thoughts wander.

It had been about two months since he and Fuu had traveled to this town. It was small but didn't lack any luxuries. They had decided to stay there for good when they had found this two-room hut abandoned and in disarray. With Fuu's cleaning power and his skillful hands, they were able to fix it up and call it their own.

It was about a ten minute walk from town and few minutes to their nearest neighbor's house. Just close enough to make Fuu happy, and far away enough for him to feel comfortable.

Fuu had already made friends with the elderly couple down the road, but Mugen still couldn't bring himself to make nice with strangers. Fuu and Jin were his only friends and he didn't see why he had to make more. Wasn't it enough that he had settled down, built a house, and stopped visiting whorehouses?

Apparently not. She always nagged at him to make an effort to be nice. He only wanted to be nice to _her_.

Speaking of which, she'd been nagging him a lot recently. And yelling. And crying. 'Damn women.' He shook his head. 'I'll never understand em.'

He shifted restlessly. Fuu hadn't even let him make love to her this morning. He was so used to waking up and climbing between her thighs and letting her soft body rock him to completion. Or sometimes, if she was feeling frisky, she'd climb on top of him...

'Damn.'

He shouldn't think of these things while alone. He was in danger of getting a hard-on and having no release except his hand, he'd be forced to walk around at half-mast. He closed his eyes and idly thought of things to distract him.

Then he heard crying. A woman crying. No, a woman sobbing hysterically.

He knew it was Fuu.

He jumped to his feet and looked down the road in the direction of town. He couldn't see her yet, but he could faintly hear her. He snatched his sword off the ground, and started to run towards the noise. His heart was thudding painfully in his chest and he felt like screaming. If something happened to her because he hadn't gone with her...

He's made that mistake before and it had taken her away from him once. He wouldn't let it happen again.

He rounded a corner of the winding trail and there she was, walking slowly and weeping uncontrollably. He screamed her name and she stopped, glancing up at him in question.

He finally reached her and he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing the air out of her. He had to feel her warm body against him to know she was okay. He was shivering with fear.

"FUU! WHAT HAPPENED!" He couldn't seem to lower his voice and she flinched as he shouted in her ear. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and asked her again in his normal voice.

"Mugen...I..." She broke in tears again. "I...I'm..."

"Dammit Fuu! What's wrong!?"

She sniffled loudly and turned her face up to hers. Her eyes were bright and she had an odd expression in her eyes.

"Mugen...I'm...I'm pregnant."

He didn't fully comprehend what she said for a moment, then his eyes darkened. "You don't want to have my kid? Too _good _for it?"

She raised her eyebrows and stared at him in shock. "Mugen! Oh gods, of course not! I'm ecstatic to have your child inside me...but don't you remember...?"

He had relaxed somewhat when she had told him she wanted his baby, but he still couldn't understand what the problem was. "Remember what?"

"I can't have children. The knife-wound made me barren."

He snorted. "Well, obviously not, cause you got my seed in ya." It was that simple. Why was she arguing with him?

"But...When I was in the whorehouse...For the 2 months that I worked there...I never used any sort of contraceptive." She smiled through her tears at him, beaming. "Don't you see?"

He shook his head stupidly.

"None of those men could get me pregnant, but there's something about _you _that's different. It's like...It's like we were meant to be together. You healed me somehow."

He groaned. "You know I hate that mushy stuff." He pulled her back into a hug. "But I gotta admit, that is pretty weird. Maybe I just have like, super sperm or somethin?" He grinned. "I _am _a stud."

She had stopped crying and laughed at him, making small circles on his back with her fingers. He purred at the sensation.

"So...Do I gotta marry ya now or something?"

She pinched his ass and laughed again. "You don't have to say it like _that_!But no, I don't need to be married to you. I'm perfectly content as we are."

He frowned. Weren't women like, programmed to want marriage? 'Specially if they're knocked up.' He was slightly suspicious that for some reason she didn't _want _to marry him. He'd make her marry him. It wasn't her choice.

"Well, maybe _I_ think we _should _get hitched."

"Seriously Mugen, we don't have to..."

"Hey! _Hell yes_ we have to! I say we're getting married and that's final!"

"Okay."

He blinked. 'Had that been another trap? Oh well.' He didn't mind marrying Fuu. It would mean she was completely his. _His_.

"Mine."

She raised her head and peered at him. "What's yours?"

"You. You're mine."

She smiled at him and took his hand in her own. She placed it over her stomach. "This is also yours."

For a minute he felt his knees about to give out. Then he recovered and grinned at her, unable to acknowledge the baby right now. He focused instead on Fuu. He grabbed her hand and started to walk towards the house. "So...we can still screw, right?"

She smiled playfully at him, accustomed to his crude language. "Yeah, up until it's born. But then we have to take a break after for a few weeks."

He whipped his head back to her and scowled. He didn't like the thought of not being able to touch her when he wanted. "Why?! That's stupid!"

"Mugen shut up! You try pushing a small human out of your body and _then _tell me if you wanna make love!"

He just grinned. "Alright then. But _now's _okay, right?"

She grinned back. "Yes, now's perfect."

Mugan howled and picked her up, carrying her bridal style and sprinting to the house. His shorts were off before he even got them in the door.

-----------------------------------

Hours after, in the darkness of the night, Mugen lay awake. Fuu was nestled against his side and he could feel her steady heartbeat as she slept. It soothed him. But he still felt restless. Carefully turning her onto her back, he stared at her.

His gaze dropped to her stomach and he reached out a tentative hand to lightly touch it. She didn't stir and he placed his palm against her flat belly. Soon it would swell and grow with the child. _His _child.

_His _child. _His _wife. _His _family.

Never in his entire life, did Mugen _ever_ think he would have a family. Truthfully, he never even wanted one. But here he was, about to be a father and husband. He was going to have two lives relying on him for protection, support, and love. It was a little overwhelming. But for the first time in his miserable life, he actually felt _blessed_.

He was blessed.

He felt his eyes burn, but he didn't wipe the tears away. He let them fall. He closed his eyes and a small cry escaped his lips.

A warm hand cupped his chin and he opened his eyes to see Fuu in front of him, tears in her eyes as well.

"I know. I feel blessed too." She kissed him, and he didn't question how she had read his thoughts. They knew all of each other and she often knew what he was thinking.

He groaned at her, with a voice full of need and she knew what he was thinking then too.

She lay back, opening herself to him and he thrust into her. Mugen made love to her for hours, and he made her climax many times before he let himself finish. It was the only way he knew how to show her how much he treasured her.

When they finally fell asleep in each other's arms, they knew that after all the trials and tribulations that they had each gone through, _this _was their reward.

They had each other and the promise of a happy life. It was perfect.

THE END

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**AN: I have decided to write a sequel to this story, set somewhere around 5 years later. But I am in the middle of writing two other stories and it will take me a little while to get to it. **


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